POLITICS
PEOPLE’S JUSTICE PROJECT: RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE POLICE CONDUCT IN COLUMBUS By Jasmine Ayers & Tammy Fournier Alsaada The anger we witnessed again today in the streets of Columbus was not triggered by a single event but rather a result of continuous structural racism Black people face every single day of their lives. We stand in solidarity with those who have recently lost their lives to the police and anti-Black violence, Breanna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and George Floyd, and we lift up the names of those who have been murdered by the Columbus Police: Henry Green, Ty’re King, Kareem Jones, Tasjon Tyreek Osbourne, Abdirahman Salad, Julius Tate, and many more. Too many Black people in Columbus have been brutalized and killed by Columbus police and we all have an obligation to hear their outrage, to honor their pain, and to demand action that indicates that we believe their #BlackLivesMatter.
protested and demanded action in response to CPD killings of Black members of our community, Mayor Ginther created a Community Safety Advisory Commission which studied Columbus’s long history of police misconduct, excessive force, and racism within the department and out in the community. This Commission spent months developing 80 recommendations, the majority of which sit unimplemented and unenforced. Below is a list of immediate demands that come directly from recommendations within the Commission’s Report .
5. Recommendation 76: The city should have an internal whistleblower “hotline” or access- point that can allow anonymous submissions from officers of abuse, racism, harassment, etc. 6. Recommendation 19: The CDP Training Academy should add and integrate specific language into training curriculum regarding crowd control that specifically addresses citizen’s individual civil rights, including First Amendment rights and the right to protest, specifically relating to non-aggressive police tactics for non-violent protests/ marches. This should also include the opportunities created to increase city/citizen engagement while allowing police to protect rather than using unnecessary violent tactics during non-violent situations.
In addition to immediately releasing Christopher Radden and dropping charges against him and all protesters held after recent events, we demand the city of Columbus take action now on their own 7. Recommendation 46 : Create a Youth recommendations, beginning with: Services unit. 1. Recommendation 70: Establish an 8. Recommendation 28: Integrate into independent civilian review board. each training module the impact of implicit 2. Recommendation 37: Require a signed and/or explicit bias, including racism, and Morality Clause for all officers that requires strategies for officers to use in recognizing officers to agree to equal protection for all and mitigating their own biases. citizens, to denounce any cultural supremacist groups, and to report any 9. Recommendation 22: Officers should be trained on how to modify behavior to deofficer’s malfeasance to Internal Affairs. escalate situations with youth. 3.Recommendation 71: Amend City Charter to create a city-funded, 10. Recommendation 29: Integrate into operationallyindependent, professionally- each training module the impact of cultural staffed, public-facing entity empowered to competence and strategies for officers to use participate fully in criminal or administrative to ensure the equitable treatment of persons regardless of background. investigations involving CDP personnel.
Columbus Police have escalated unrest, pepper spraying thousands of peaceful protesters, utilizing sound weapons, rubber bullets and concussion grenades against them. Even the most prominent Black elected officials in central Ohio, US Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin and Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce were not protected from CPDs aggressive repression, as they were pepper sprayed while engaging 4. Recommendation 72: Implement a peacefully with their constituents. process for independent investigation of 1) There must be accountability and justice officer use of force, including but not limited or there will be no peace. Mayor Andrew to, officer use of force resulting in death, Ginther has issued calls for unity while officer involved shootings, and in-custody doing little to indicate his willingness to take injuries and deaths; and 2) complaints about action to protect Black lives in Columbus. serious Columbus Division of Police officer After the Columbus community organized, misconduct.
We encourage all who read this call on Mayor Ginther to take action and to donate to the Columbus Freedom Fund For more information, contact Jasmine Ayers at 614-325-3134 or Tammy Fournier Alsaada at 614-623-5368 at the People’s Justice Project.
Photo by Paige Pfleger/WOSU
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The Columbus & Dayton News African American • June 2020 The Columbus African American Journal • February 2015
